Head Space
by DedicatedProcrastinator
Summary: Just my take on what Rick may have been thinking during that last scene. Marked as complete but I may write one for Michonne as well. Please review!


**Okaaay so I know, I know, we all already saw this scene but...I for one couldn't stop thinking about what THEY were thinking. Really hoping i did it justice here. I will try to write one from Michonne's perspective if I have the time.**

 **Anyone following 'Together': I haven't given up on it! Sorry for the wait x.x**

 **\0.0/**

Rick lay down heavily on the couch. The balls of his feet were sore from chasing down Jesus and the stolen van, and the disappointment at losing their shot at a decent amount of provisions was giving way to an ebbing anxiety that maybe the whole 'Law of Averages' idea really was just a load of crap. He released a deep sigh, listening to the sounds around him. Crickets were chirping lazily outside. A hum was just barely audible from the lamp on the coffee table beside him. The recognizable footsteps of Michonne were padding around behind him on the hardwood floor.

"Move." He started slightly as he felt her shin again his hand, but complied with her request almost immediately.

"Hey." He greeted softly, scooting down the couch and watching as she plopped down beside him. Michonne held out the baby monitor for him to see.

"She's practicing in her sleep." She whispered fondly, gazing down at the image of baby Judith rolling around in her crib. Rick chuckled at that, his heart filling with joy that his children were safe, and comfort that Michonne had been watching them. He shook his head slightly as Michonne put the baby monitor at the other end of the couch.

"It's good to be home." He said firmly, bending to remove his boots one at a time.

"Yeah, you're tellin' me..." Michonne sighed to herself, "Where's Daryl?" She asked. Ricks thoughts turned to when he had last seen Dixon, pacing like a guard dog outside of the holding room where they had put Jesus.

"Watching over a guy...Until some other guy can take over."

"You found a guy?" Michonne asked with curiosity. The whole situation however made Rick feel as though the day had been a waste. He sighed deeply and shook his head, his eyes fixing on the ceiling for a moment, before coming back down to rest on the coffee table.

"Crazy day." He repeated the mantra that had been in his head since he walked in the door aloud.

"You wanna talk about it?" Her voice was gentle and understanding, and it almost immediately calmed him, reminding him once again that the day was over. He was too tired to give a good re-accounting of it, however.

"Nah...not right now. I just wanna turn my brain off for a minute." He replied truthfully. He closed his eyes once more and took comfort in her presence, listening to her shift around beside him, and wondering how she had fared.

"You wanna tell me about your day?" He asked, turning to face her with interest for a moment before settling to gaze at the small flame in the lamp.

"No..." She replied softly, "Same thing."

His brow furrowed curiously. "What, you found a guy?" He asked. Michonne looked sad at that, and Ricks concern grew slightly, though he understood it was best not to press yet.

"Not a guy." She murmured. He looked at her for awhile longer, taking in the sorrow on her face, wondering what could have possibly happened, wracking his brain for how he could possibly make it better. Then he became aware that he was sitting on something rather uncomfortable, and he had his answer.

"Oh." He started. He arched upward to root through his back pocket. He could feel Michonnes curious gaze on him, and he did his best to maintain a slightly serious demeanor.

"Gotcha somethin'." He smirked, and held out a green roll of mints between them. Her snort of laughter brought immediate satisfaction to him as she snatched the spearmint lozenges away with a grin. She laughed for a few more moments and he closed his eyes and allowed the sound to wash over him like a gentle wave, shifting ever so slightly closer to her on the couch.

"Is this instead of the toothpaste?" Michonne questioned.

"Mhm." Rick smirked. She laughed harder at this and he turned to face her. "Well, I do have a crate of toothpaste for ya'...it's currently at the bottom of a lake." He informed her. Curiousity and understanding flowed onto her features.

"Oh so you had a _day_."

"Yeah...yeah." He laughed, his smile turning reflective, "All on account of your dental hygiene." She laughed, and he took her in with his eyes. It was what he had left the house to accomplish that morning. It was why he had plucked the paper wrapped roll of mints from the inside of the vending machine that afternoon. It was the reason he had let her borrow his toothpaste every day without hesitance until it had disappeared.

"Have your mints." Rick smiled softly.

Michonnes face relaxed as she settled back down into the cushions beside him, and Rick reached reflexively for her hand before he could stop himself. Confused by the urge, unable to decide what to do with his hand yet unwilling to retract it, he settled for a few comforting pats before resting it atop hers. He found himself loathe to pull away, instead curious to understand the ghosting thought that made him want to memorize the way the edges of her palm felt. Her fingers shifted slightly to the right and wound loosely between his own, relaxing him, compelling him to entertain the desire further. Like a smaller, smoother version of his own, her hand aligned perfectly with his, aside from the roll of hard candy between them of course.

Without too much thought, he shook it slightly from between them and stretched his fingers to press his palm against hers. A warm feeling was spreading up his arm, through his chest, down into his legs, bouncing around his body and clicking into place a cog in his thought process that had evidently been malfunctioning for longer than he cared to think about.

Her eyes slid up to meet his, questioning and compelling and perhaps even a little confused. He loved her eyes.

 _Oh._

The feeling spread his lips into a soft smile, and brightened his vision until she was all he could see. The comforting warmth of Michonnes fingers between his brought a wonderful aching feeling into his throat that begged to be addressed.

He was leaning in now, and to his amazement so was she. His hand was coming up to hold her soft face, and his eyes were slipping closed; the silence around them made what was happening hardly believable, he felt as if he would wake up at any moment and be completely confused, then the gentle abruptness of her lips against his, all thought leaving his mind as he felt her hand at the back of his neck, he turned on his side to fully face her, and his hand found her hip before he really processed that it had even been looking, all this as he moved in closer when all too soon he was pulled back to reality for a brief moment.

"Wait, wait a minute." He whispered, trying not to become too distracted by her as he reached down.

"My gun's between my legs...let me..." He pulled back as he loosened the buckle of the gun belt, and her soft giggle set the all consuming realization more firmly into the center of his thoughts that he was in love with her, and had been for quite some time.

"Ok, ok," he grinned, "Now we can continue."

He felt her smiling against his lips, reveled in the awareness of her fingers threading through his hair, and fought the sensation of becoming lost for a moment longer as he pulled back to receive a smile and slight nod that was her affirmation for him to continue. He brought a knee up into the cushions of the couch, his other leg stretched out awkwardly for a moment before she made room for it to fold between hers, in order to press his body more solidly against her until it no longer made sense to be upright.

As if she sensed it too, Michonne slid down the back of the couch, pulling him with her until she was flat on the cushions and he was on top of her, and as he tilted his head he caught sight of her face and couldn't help but to grin down at her in the lamplight, to understand her expression of love as she caressed his face with her fingertips that only minutes ago had set this all in motion with the very slightest of movements, the radiating joy in her eyes filled his vision as he leaned in to kiss her again.

 **\o.o/**

 **Yay or nay? Please review!**


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